Year 2, Day 257 (Yom Kippur)

Today is Yom Kippur, translated in english as Day of Atonement. A day that we reflect upon the past year's events within our personal lives, seek forgiveness from those whom we may have done wrong, forgive those who may ask for it, and seek repentance from HaShem, our G-d. It was first implemented by the command of HaShem in Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:1-34, which is also one of the readings we have on this day. For those who are unaware, HaShem is Hebrew, which translates, literally, as "The Name". In Judaism, many (like myself) hold The Lord's name (one of many) in such high reverence, that we address Him as such, instead of speaking out His Holy Name. One of the spellings of His Name is referred to as the tetragrammaton (י-ה-ו-ה). This, when one comes upon it in Scripture, is read simply as HaShem, or it is even permissible to speak it out as, "the yod-heh (י-ה) as joined with the vav-heh (ו-ה)." Not to be misled, though, this is the same G-d that you study in the Bible, whereas Allah (in the quran) is not.

Yom Kippur is also spent as a day of fasting and praying. Anybody who has taken part in such will agree that the praying is easy, the fasting takes some discipline and devotion. For us, fasting is more than choosing one thing to refrain from eating and/or drinking, especially on Yom Kippur. On this day, we fast from all food and drink. Though, much like the Sabbath (and Yom Kippur is also observed as a Sabbath), exceptions can be made. If one has health issues where fasting could be detrimental, they are permitted to eat or drink (whichever would prevent danger of the health issue). In Judaism, life is precious.

The fasting has been relatively easy, though it proves much more difficult as I drive by restaurants. Though I continue to look to HaShem for the strength and endurance to carry on. Fortunately, I do not have a job that requires strenuous activity. I bless HaShem that He has given me the strength to carry on, as I will also bless Him at the end of this fast.

May you all be blessed!

Year 2, Day 232 (I've Decided To Get A Re-Start)

I arrived in Clarksville, AR at 0045 this morning, shutting down at the truck stop just across the street from Walmart. I've enjoyed the peace that comes with the Sabbath, and the time I spend in this week's Torah portion. Tomorrow, though, I'll take off and head to Rogers, AR to pick up the load that will next take me to Tomah, WI for Monday afternoon. I'll try to cover as much ground as possible tomorrow, so Monday's work won't be as bad.

Tomorrow's post will be one of a foodie style. I'm in the process of making a smoked beef brisket with vegetables, and, so far, the results are looking quite nice.

The weather has been back to the typical humidity that Arkansas is known for. Fortunately I have an a/c unit that works quite nice. It's not the heat I have a problem with, it's the humidity of this region. If I want to be in a sticky atmosphere, I'll go into a sauna, that that's not likely to happen any time soon.

Where ever you may be, stay cool!

Year 2, Day 236 (This Week Is Nearly Over)

Today, being the Sabbath, is a much welcomed day, not only for its benefit of rest, but because it marks the end of this past week... which I do not care to repeat. Ever. I have found that when I spend time in the Scriptures daily, and try diligently to do no work on the Sabbath, but focus more upon G-d, the week I have just completed seems like a burden lifted, and the week to come is less stressful. This past week, though it was an anomaly, I view as more of a test. As servants of HaShem (God), and believers in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah), we get spiritual tests in order to strengthen our faith and refine our character.

Though this past week was low on the productivity scale, HaShem gave me a peace and joy regardless of the sitting I had been doing, or the sudden hurdles that arose. Just so I'm not misunderstood, serving HaShem is a joy, not a burden... and He is certainly NOT a "quick fix" for all your problems. It takes devotion, study, and perseverance. Anything of a spiritual nature that can be fixed right away, won't last for very long. When we stay devoted to our studies, and keep our hearts focused on The Holy One, Blessed is He, then over time we can reflect upon our lives and attitudes and see what positive changes had transpired... we can see how our lives have been - and continue to be - transformed, by seeking His guidance, and studying His Scriptures for a deeper understanding of who He is. By doing so we also gain a deeper understanding of His Commandments (there's more than just 10).

If you have questions, feel free to drop me a line. I may not be a Torah scholar, but I will try to seek an answer, and send you in the direction that will give you your own deeper understanding of The Scriptures and their meaning.

Year 2, Day 233 (The Repairs Are Being Done)

This morning repairs began on the trailer in order to get me back on the road. The technicians that were working on it did so for a little over an hour, then left again, presumably to get other parts... though it's not exactly clear, as they didn't express so prior to leaving. When they did leave, I went to the back of the trailer to check the progress to find they still had some work ahead of them. It is all still in the hands of HaShem, my G-d (for those who may be unfamiliar with this Name, it is one of the Hebrew Names of G-d... one of the many Names. HaShem literally translates to The Name, implying that His Name - written in Hebrew as יהוה - is so sacred within Judaism, that we don't read it as it is written, but rather shorten it to HaShem).

Years ago (possibly even this time last year) I would have been fraught with frustration at such a delay because it detracts from my making money. What's happened now? I've been trying to be more focused and diligent in my involvement of Torah study. On the road I'm trying to become more disciplined in waking up at least 1 1/2 hours before I need to start driving for the day. During that time, I am going through that day's section of the weekly Torah portion (reading the commentaries of the various Sages, as well) and following it up with the Daily Dose of Torah section for that day. Trust me, this is not an easy path to navigate as I wasn't raised in Judaism, nor do I have a Rabbi or Torah scholar whom I can study under (where I live in Arkansas, the local idea of going to a deli is in making a trip to Walmart).

Though I have been here since early Sunday morning, I am still at peace. I can't change the circumstances. Besides, why would I even want to change them? Each day we are presented with a variety of decisions to make and paths to choose... we should also be willing to accept the consequences for those paths & decisions that we make, should they prove to be the wrong ones. Today it's become all to common that people do NOT want to take responsibility for their actions (a case in point is this news from 3 months ago, or this blog from yesterday - which includes a 4 minute video worth watching).

Every day is a learning experience. The question is... will you choose to learn from it, or blame somebody else that it happened?

You choose.

Year 2, Day 231 (Blessed Beyond Belief)

Yes, as the parenthetical title implies, I am blessed beyond belief. One would think that something spectacular has happened - it hasn't. In fact, I am still sitting here in Oak Creek, WI, waiting for the repair shop to get the parts needed to fix the brakes on the trailer (apparently, disc brakes on a 53' trailer are still considered uncommon), and the load going to New Jersey had been taken off of me. How much longer will it take to get the parts is unknown, as is what my next load will be... but one thing is certain, I am here for a reason, a purpose. In fact, we ALL have a purpose, not just to wander through life aimlessly or "try to be a good person."

I wasn't raised in Jewish traditions, in fact, quite the opposite. However, I have been try to live my life as if I had, which means I've been trying to catch up for the past several years. This past year I have been diligently trying to really get involved in studying the Torah, by taking each weekly portion and breaking it up unto daily readings, and accompanying it with that day's section of Daily Dose Of Torah. There have been several times where I fell behind, but I have made every effort to try to recoup. The point of all this is that, even though I'm sitting here waiting for the aforementioned part (or parts), then I'll have no real idea what my next load will consist of, or where I will head to, I am still blessed. HaShem blessed me with another day of life... He has blessed me with an awesome wife and four wonderful sons... I have a place to call home. These are things that all of us take for granted daily, yet very seldom are we thankful, TRULY thankful. I had been one. For some reason it's as if my heart has been overwhelmed with gratitude and joy.

HaShem, my G-d, is truly an awesome G-d!

Year 2, Day 180 (Kansas City, Here We Come... Again)

Once we had finished unloading in Petoskey, MI yesterday, John and I waited for a couple hours until we were given our next run. This one had us deadheading to Chicago (about 350 miles) to load today. Our loading time was between 1200- 2200, but we arrived there last night. Along the way, John had called his sister and had her meet us in Covert, MI to bring a pizza. The pizza was from DiMaggio's Pizza in Coloma, MI, and was delicious. I had never had their pizza until last night. We stopped off in Burns Harbor, IN and topped off the fuel, then off to Chicago.

We were blessed that Tyson had us loaded and leaving just after noon. We left from there and I had John take us to the Target on the south end of Chicago, on Cicero. I stopped to pick up a few things (milk being one of them), and I also treated John to a Starbucks: a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappaccino, which, upon tasting it (delightfully, I might add), he gave it the moniker "diabetes in a cup". We are making our way to Olathe, KS which is just south of Kansas City, KS.

The weather has been humid so far, but it looks as though we may be hitting some rain before we hit St. Louis. Either way, this is a beautiful Sabbath, because The L-rd has granted me another day.

One more thing... I saw Mario in the Chicago area:

Year 2, Day 178 (Heading To The U.P.)

John and I finished the deadhead trip to Milwaukee, WI where we picked up this load. Yesterday, Monica (my Fleet Manager) said if we were unable to deliver this by 1600 (ET) tomorrow, then she would have us drop the load at the terminal in Gary, IN and get another driver to deliver it on Monday. Since we were loaded at a relatively decent time, I told her we would be able to deliver tomorrow, so the route we are taking will bring us through the Upper Peninsula (or U.P. for short). In all the years I have driven a truck, this will be my first venture into that region.

The word is out all over the media sources about the Supreme Court's decision concerning the "Affordable Health Care Law"; as of this morning, the AHCL IS constitutional. Many of us can banter and argue the positives or negatives (depending on your viewpoint) of this controversial law until we are blue in the face, or until the cows come home (whichever you prefer), but the fact of the matter is, now it's set in stone. One thing that is ever more set in stone is that G-d is bigger than ANY government entity... PERIOD! We can whine and cry, argue and debate, even throw a temper tantrum, but none of that will change what has been decided. What we can do, however, is pray. At this point, that's all that is left. Prayer can do what we cannot. History has shown what power lies in prayer (this is the part where you begin searching it for yourself). This country was started by men who feared - and loved - G-d... let's get ourselves back to those roots.